Two Wrongs (Detective Inspector Ross Reed Book 1) (4 page)

Tyler seemed satisfied.

Steed then made three straight cuts, just behind Carmella’s ear. Each one was 10 centimetres long and together they made a rectangular flap which was lifted and clipped to her hair so it didn’t keep falling down.

“Yes. As expected, the wound would suggest blunt trauma,” Steed confirmed his initial diagnosis. Tyler was leaning in over Steed’s shoulder, taking in all the details. Reed stood back a little and waited for the oral report while Lucy was waiting for Tyler to get out of her way so she could take photos. “It looks much like a chip in a windscreen, with the central hole fairly circular and no bigger than four millimetres. The shape of the fracture suggests that although the weapon could be described as heavy and blunt, it would have had at least one deformity, some sort of sharp point. My guess would be a large stone, something like that.”

Reed thought about this and considered a spontaneous attack. He didn’t think anyone would plan an attack using a stone when there were so many varieties of weapon designed for the sole purpose of hurting people.

“The cracks leading away from the centre of impact are in various shapes and sizes, but no bigger than 35mm and no smaller than 10mm.”

Lucy now forced her camera in front of Tyler giving her a polite ‘get out of the way’ smile. She took several photos in quick succession. Tyler moved away reluctantly.

“Could she have fallen onto the stone or whatever it was?” Tyler asked, not giving up.

“In my opinion, no. Let’s say for arguments sake that she fainted and fell to the ground, landing on the exact same thing that done this, the fractures would be more evenly spread. On this particular wound, the lines are longer leading down towards the neck, suggesting she was hit from behind with the trajectory coming from slightly above her.

“Your opinion?” Reed asked.

“Yes, I’m no expert. I could well imagine a good solicitor arguing it was an accident in court, but I’m confident a fracture specialist would confirm my somewhat humble opinion.”

Reed didn’t doubt it. He also didn’t doubt that the next procedure was to remove the brain. He had the cause of death- trauma to the head causing massive bleeding to the brain, starving it of oxygen. No obvious defence marks. The weapon used was heavy and blunt with a sharp point on it somewhere, probably a large stone or rock, which didn’t exactly narrow down the possible locations that the murder took place considering where her body had been found.

Much to Tyler’s disappointment, he made their excuses to leave, getting out just in time. Reed could hear the mini circular saw that was used to cut the skull being started as he shut the changing room door. It would be tomorrow before the final report was ready. They now knew that Carmella’s body had probably been moved after she had died. There wasn’t enough blood consistent with her wound where they had found her and the superficial cuts and grazes she had received after her heart had stopped indicated that she had been dragged, or possibly rolled, into the pit where she had been found.

Reed and Tyler put their protective clothing back into the plastic bags from which they were removed. These would be given an identification number by Ms Edward and put in storage as evidence. The pair of them had been to the area where Carmella was found and could have easily transferred trace evidence to the autopsy room that shouldn’t have been there, especially with how close Tyler liked to get. By logging who wore what, they could look back and either include or exclude certain evidence.

When they got outside, Reed was grateful to breathe in the warm, natural air- air that didn’t smell of cleaning products. Or flesh. He stopped outside the building enjoying the heat and, like a reptile basking in the sun, he let it invigorate him. It slowly removed the chill that he had got whilst watching Carmella’s autopsy. He wasn’t sure if it was the autopsy or the temperature of the room which had chilled him.

They got in the car, Tyler driving, and joined the A11 to Wymondham. If you carried on past the police headquarters in Wymondham, the A11 took you directly to Thetford where Carmella had lived. Carry on further still and you came to Newmarket where she had been at a club the night she was killed.

“So do you think we’re dealing with someone who panicked and used the bleach as an afterthought or someone who had planned it, thought it through and had the bleach ready to try and cover their tracks?” Reed asked.

“I find it hard to believe somebody planned to kill a normal 18 year old girl with a rock.”

“You should know by now that normal is a fairly small bracket.
She
might fit the description ‘normal’ but it doesn’t mean her killer does. I agree though, I don’t think this was a pre-planned attack. The bleach might be another matter; had the person just been shopping? Did they leave the scene to fetch it and then come back?”

“At least it looks like the poor girl didn’t suffer under the circumstances. No torture; she wasn’t raped. According to Steed there was no recent sexual activity.”

“Was that his politically correct way of saying that she wasn’t a virgin?” Reed asked.

“Yes.” Tyler smiled.

“So there could be a boyfriend we don’t know about?”

“I don’t think so. We checked all that with her friends when she went missing, none of them knew of anybody. Lee Gulliver had taken a fancy to her and she trusted him enough to get a lift home, like she had done on a few occasions. Her friends don’t think they were, and I quote, ‘together-together.’ Before that evening no harm had come to her.”

“Did he always drop her off at the end of the road like he suggested he did on Saturday?” Reed asked.

“Yes. He has one of those. . . What do they call them, revved-up cars with the big exhausts?”

“Revved-up cars?” Reed smiled.

“Well, whatever they’re called? I don’t know, do I?”

Back at headquarters, the over-sized whiteboard had been changed. Suspects had been changed to Murder Suspects, with just one name listed: Lee Gulliver. Reed pondered if he was really running this investigation. Whitehead had felt the need to update the board in his absence. It was a small annoyance, but still an annoyance. The room had barely a scattering of people so Reed couldn’t blend in with the crowd and he was soon motioned over by Whitehead when he was spotted.

“Sir?”

“Everyone is going over what we’ve got, making sure it all adds up. As you no doubt spotted, we’ve got one main suspect so far, Lee Gulliver. DC Plumridge is seeing what the speed cameras turn up in the area. There is a team gathering information on the known criminals in the area and any links to old cases, solved or otherwise.”

“Should I stick my feet up then, sir?” Reed asked sarcastically.

“If you want to,” Reed watched as a crimson colour took over Whitehead’s face. “Or you could go and interview Lee Gulliver?”

Reed felt a small sense of satisfaction at his superior’s reaction before it was swept away by the realisation that Whitehead was right. He should go and interview Gulliver.

“See? Revved up.” Tyler said with excitement. The Vauxhall Corsa could not be described any other way. It was lagoon blue with over-the-top graphics on the bonnet which Reed thought looked like an eagle that was just about to land. Down the sides of the car there were white go-faster stripes. The exhaust was about four inches in diameter and looked capable of waking any household within a three mile radius. There was a spoiler on the back, skirts on the sides and front which nearly touched the floor and Reed thought that any decent sized pot hole would surely see the end of them.

During the journey to Gulliver’s flat they had stopped at the road where Carmella had allegedly been dropped off, not just the night she went missing but on a few occasions previously. After leaving the A11, they had driven for a further two miles towards Thetford before stopping at the end of Bridgeham Road. It was here that Carmella should have then made the short walk home. There was a large Tesco store that was open for twenty four hours a day located on the same road and Reed would have been amazed if Carmella had been snatched from here without any witnesses present. Even in the small hours, there would have been plenty of traffic passing the end of the road or heading in and out of the supermarket. On the opposite side to the Tesco entrance was a thin strip of wasteland that backed onto a crop field. The whole area had been searched by specialist police teams when she had first been reported missing and turned up nothing.

Reed spent a few minutes getting a feel for the place, picturing various scenarios in his mind’s eye, trying to play out what could have happened. Whichever way he looked at it, he couldn’t see Carmella being taken from here. It was only a hundred metres to the end of her driveway, leaving a very small window of opportunity for somebody to take her, and the chances of not being spotted doing it were very slim. He started to sway towards the theory that she knew her killer.

From Bridgeham Road they headed towards the town centre. After half a mile they turned left onto Diss Road before looping around behind the shops on the high street. The back of Gulliver’s flat looked out over a pay and display car park and Tyler had pointed out the ‘revved up’ vehicle whilst trying to park her own.

Reed took the short walk to the ticket machine and put the change in to cover the minimum two hours stay, skillfully avoiding the sticky patches on the buttons as he did so. Making his way back to the car, he noticed Tyler was perched on the edge of the car bonnet with her face pointing directly at the sun, greedily soaking up the warmth. When he got near enough she took the ticket from him and placed it neatly on the dashboard. They walked silently across the tarmac and stepped onto the pavement getting stuck behind an overweight woman whose body had to rock from side to side to allow her to walk. She was joined by two children who used her considerable bulk as an island to chase around and hide behind. Reed had to slow his walk to match the waddle pace in front of him; there were several opportunities to pass her but he was worried Tyler would get blocked by the rotating youngsters. He decided to wait and hoped she was heading to the shops and not the block of flats, otherwise he might need to get an extension on the parking ticket.

Luckily she turned left, allowing Reed’s blood pressure to return to something near normal as he and Tyler took the right hand option down a short pathway to a block of eight flats. Gulliver lived at number seven on the first floor, meaning they had to take the stairs which smelt of a mixture of urine and damp cigarette butts. Once at the top, they stepped out onto the balcony and Reed noticed that a resident of one of the flats near to the open stairwell had turned their portion of the walkway into a miniature version of The Chelsea Flower Show. There were planters on the floor that stretched the length of the property and windowsill boxes overflowed from the balcony wall. Reed wondered if their sole purpose was to improve the aroma coming from the stairwell.

Navigating the foliage with care, the distinct vibrations of bass from somebody’s stereo was getting stronger and louder. A few steps further and it was obvious that it was coming from number seven. Gulliver had his music playing at an ear piercing level despite knowing the officers were coming to see him. Perhaps he thought that he could keep them away with noise alone, and to be fair, by the sound of the techno dance music resonating in Reed’s ears it could work, but he refused to give up that easy so he thumped on the door with the heel of his fist.

“I’m really going to like this lad. I can tell.” Reed said, making Tyler smile.

With the music continuing and no sign of anybody at the door, Reed braced himself by putting a hand either side of the door, leaning his weight forward against the wall, then he kind of danced along to the beat before kicking his left foot against the base of door, making sure it was completely out of sync to the beat of the music.

“What the fuck is . . .” Gulliver was screaming as the door flew open.

“I was going to ask you the same thing.” Reed said, still leaning in, still holding on to the wall ready if the door was to shut again. Gulliver’s face was no more than a few inches away from his and he watched as the realization of who was on his doorstep crept over it. Gathering himself together, Gulliver motioned for the officers to follow him inside.

The flat was omitting a smell of stale marijuana even before they stepped in through the front door. Gulliver had darted to the left to what was probably the lounge; the kitchen was visible through a small arch at the end of the hall. There were two heavy fire doors on the right, a bathroom and bedroom Reed guessed. He thought it was funny that the most likely source of fire, the kitchen, was the only room without a fire door.

Tyler’s face was one of disapproval as they entered the dank, smelly lounge. Despite there being windows at either end of the room, the scum that had accumulated on them was filtering out most of the natural light. The only artificial light inside was coming from a tall lamp in the corner and that was struggling to do the job it was designed for under an old fashioned brown lampshade.

Gulliver had moved quickly to turn the music off and was already sat down in a chair; he was perched on the edge of the seat looking down, fiddling with one of his gold rings. Reed and Tyler were left to occupy the sofa. Reed sat first, and then Tyler followed. She sank deeper than Reed despite her being about four stone lighter. Her feet actually came off the floor and she let slip a small yelp. Both men stared at her as she shifted around trying to find a firm area where the springs might still have some life in them. In the end she organised herself onto the front edge of the seat, her face a bright crimson.

“Get on with your neighbours with all that noise do you?” Tyler asked harshly, angry that she had not been warned about the broken chair.

“What? They’re alright actually.” Gulliver replied, not realising it was their opinion of him that she was after. Stopping herself short of calling Gulliver names she could get in trouble for, she looked to Reed to take over.

“As you must be aware, Carmella Chapman’s body has been found which means our investigation has changed from a missing person to a murder enquiry,” Reed paused, giving the words time to settle into Gulliver’s brain, “Her body was found on Thetford Common and I wanted to check with you to see if on the night you gave her a lift home whether you stopped or passed there?”

“No, I’ve already told your lot the way we went.” Gulliver snapped.

“I know you have but I have new questions for you and in order to ask these I need to confirm a few things along the way.” Reed explained as though he was talking to a three year old, and mentally, who knew? “So my next question is: When you dropped Carmella off, did you notice anything suspicious?”

Gulliver made a mock of thinking, raising a finger to his chin and looking skywards, “Yes. There was a man with a sign saying ‘I’m a murderer!’ I just didn’t mention it before. No, I didn’t see anything, I’ve already told you.”

“Mr Gulliver, if our questions are worrying you, we can do this at the police station in a formal capacity. You’re free to request a solicitor no matter where you are. Our intention at the beginning of this interview was to gather information; however, your sarcasm and general demeanor are making me just a little suspicious.” Tyler said.

“It’s your call?” Reed chipped in.

Gulliver dropped his tough guy act straight away. His shoulders actually slumped. He seemed to disappear into his chair much the same as Tyler had earlier, just less dramatic. “I’m sorry,” he finally whispered, “I wish I could remember something. Having been the last one to see her alive, I know I’m a suspect; I’m not stupid. It’s frustrating that I can’t steer this away from me.”

“You’re just helping us with our enquiries at the moment, that’s all. Tell me what happened after you dropped her off. The route you took.” Reed asked.

“We took the A11 from Newmarket, turned off on the Thetford/Watton road and I dropped her off at the end of Bridgeham Road; I carried on, turned onto Diss Road and parked out there,” Gulliver nodded towards the car park Tyler had parked in. “Then I walked to my flat.”

“What time was it you arrived home?”

“It was about one in the morning.”              `

“Can you be more specific?” Reed insisted.

“It was just before, 10 to 1.”

“Is there anyone who saw you get home, someone who could confirm the time? Just so we can really pinpoint the time you dropped Carmella off; it could make all the difference.”

“No. Not that I know of. It’s like I told the others, I hadn’t planned on getting mixed up in all of this.” Gulliver answered.

“What about Carmella, did she seem worried or upset?”

“No.”

Reed was surprised by the curt answer so he nodded his head and kept his eyes fixed on Gulliver. Silence can be a great weapon in interviews. Sometimes people could feel awkward and would just start to blabber on but Gulliver wasn’t playing the game. He looked awkward enough but he wasn’t going to start talking without being prompted.

Reed used the silence to process a couple things that might mean nothing or absolutely everything. Gulliver had stated that he was the last person to see Carmella alive and also indicated he was eager to steer the attention away from him. Were they the words of a nervous killer or the defensive words of an innocent person? The statement was true; he had been the last
known
person to see her alive and surely, any innocent person would want to clear their name as soon as possible.

“What exactly was your relationship with Carmella?” Tyler asked.

“I don’t know,” He said shyly. “We were kind of just getting to know each other.”

“How did you meet?”

“At Splitz, I know a couple of her mates and we got chatting.”

“Would you have considered yourselves a couple?”

“No. Not really.”

Tyler was jotting a few things down and Reed knew it wasn’t the words that were being spoken she was taking notes of, it would be her reaction to the words, whether she believed him or not, had he looked uncomfortable, those sorts of things.

Reed’s own feelings told him that he had a very real suspect.